This Was The Year
by Clever Panther
Summary: Just a little piece about Castor and Pollux and what they went through. Inspiration from a post with Fred and George Weasley.


**Just some Castor and Pollux angst written from Pollux's POV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO**

Castor and Pollux, the twins. Together forever, never alone. That's who we were.

The year that Percy Jackson came to camp, we realized that everything was changing. Chiron didn't tell us much, but by the end of that year, we understood that Kronos was returning. Slowly but surely, he was coming back with a vengeance. This was the year that we became aware of the changes that were coming.

The second year that Percy was in camp was hell without Chiron. We got the feeling that Dad didn't like Tantalus either, but didn't really want to show it. Percy and Annabeth saved the camp from deadly bronze birds. Tantalus gave Clarisse the credit when all she did was sit there with her mouth gaping open. Those two made a daring move at the campfire that night. Castor and I hid our grins as we joined in with the campers calling for a quest. We watched together as the campfire flared brighter while the campers grew excited. After telling us a creepy story about himself, Tantalus sent Clarisse off on the quest instead to get the golden fleece. The night she left, Percy and Annabeth left too. Castor and I fought against the monsters that invaded the camp while we waited for them to come back. We felt ridiculous, leaving the fate of the camp in the hands of two thirteen year olds, a fourteen year old, and as we discovered later, a satyr. When they came back, they brought back the fleece and hung it on Thalia's pine. Only, there was an unexpected result; Thalia came back. Not only that, but Luke was organizing forces to help bring back Kronos and defeat the gods. The thought of the oncoming war terrified the camp. Castor and I stayed up late in the cabin discussing this development. As much as we tried to joke about it, something in the back of our minds feared this oncoming storm. This was the year that we witnessed a miracle and realized that there would be war.

The third year that Percy was in camp he didn't stay for long. When we heard that Annabeth had been killed Castor and I were shocked. That blond haired child of Athena had been at camp since she was seven. A glance at Castor revealed something glistening on his cheek. Strangely, I felt a prickle behind my eyes, and a drop of wetness on my cheek as I recalled her adorable smile while she lectured us on the history of strawberries. It didn't help that we got squashed pathetically in capture the flag by the Hunters of Artemis. We held a council after the Oracle decided to take a stroll through the woods. The Hunters, Thalia, and Grover left to rescue Artemis. But Castor nudged me afterward and whispered, "How much do you want to bet that Percy's going to go anyway?"

When he came back with Annabeth, Castor and I had ridiculous grins on our faces. They were quickly wiped away and we were dumbstruck when he told us that the Titans were stirring and Kronos was gaining in strength. Our somewhat peaceful lives were torn apart never to be the same again. This was the year that we began to prepare ourselves for the inevitable war. We did it like we did everything: together.

The fourth year that Percy was at camp, everyone was training hard to be prepared for anything. Dad wasn't even there. He was visiting the minor gods to find out where their loyalties lay. Even though he wasn't much of a Dad, he was our father. The comfort of his actually powerful presence had disappeared and Castor, always the comforting one, rubbed my shoulders one evening and grinned halfheartedly. "It'll be fine. We'll stick together and come out on top. Just like we always do."

When we heard about the Labyrinth and Annabeth got her first quest, and that we weren't going, we bumped fists. Even though it wasn't in the camp spirit, I couldn't help but feel relieved that we would survive that encounter. They returned from the Labyrinth bearing bad news: Luke had become Kronos, and his army was coming to camp. Nodding to each other in agreement, we sped off and began delivering drinks to the campers setting up defenses. I watched as Castor handed out juice boxes to the sweating Hephaestus cabin members. There was a feeling of dread pooling at the pit of my stomach, but I couldn't place the reason. Soon, Castor and I began putting on our own armor. As I fixed the strap he always got wrong, I watched my hands tremble.

"Be careful out there, brother."

Castor nodded and smiled at me.

"Always. Besides, what could happen to me? You're fated to be stuck with me forever, Pollux."

We wrapped our arms around each other and thumped each others backs with palms of our hands.

"Together." I breathed.

"Forever." He replied.

The ground rumbled and we stood in ranks for the battle. Swords clashed on shields and bows thrummed as arrows leaped from their strings in a horrible cacophony of war. Somehow, we got separated fighting an emposai. Rolling forward, I trust up and stabbed a leaping hell-hound in the underbelly. The moment that monster disintegrated, I saw Castor struggling against a half-blood through the haze. Even as I sprinted to help him, I knew it would be too late. And there, before my eyes, the half-blood stabbed Castor through the heart. I could feel a pulsing, searing pain in my chest. I howled to the sky, a mindless stream of curses and screams. The half-blood managed to turn, barely able to raise his sword before I slashed at him. All I could see was him and a mist of red. I barely managed a clear thought to keep my defenses up as I pressed forward. He slipped and I killed him without a second thought. Kneeling down, I cradled Castor's dying body in my arms. I became oblivious to the raging battle around me as I screamed my anguish. Babbling, sobbing, and cursing, I just wanted it all to end. His fingers grazed my chest in one last moment of contact.

And then he was gone.

I desperately wanted to take Castor's place. I didn't hear it, the horrific scream, caught up as I was in my grief, but they said that Grover used Panic. I turned away from Will Solace, tears in my eyes because Grover had been too late. My brother was already dead. Together Forever, we had promised each other. Was forever over already? When it came time to burn him with his shroud, I remembered us both working on it jokingly. We had told each other that there would never be any need to use it. We would be Together Forever. _We weren't anymore_. I though bitterly. I tried to choke out a few words, but nothing came. I simply laid the torch on the wood, and sobbed. I didn't care who saw, I just wanted my brother back, and that wasn't possible. Dionysus came by the cabin later, his eyes blood shot from grief. He didn't say anything about the bottles of alcohol scattered across the floor. Stepping close, he hugged me for the first time. I screamed and yelled at him, but he just pinned my arms against my sides and made calming noises with his mouth. Nothing that came out of my mouth was coherent. Pleas mixed with curses, and howls mixed with sobs. Spent, I slumped against him and wept. Very fatherly like of him, he tucked me into my bed. Resting a hand on my forehead, he let a single tear trickled down his cheek. Then he left. And I was left with an empty cabin with little reminders of Castor scattered everywhere. Pulling his blanket over me I cried myself to sleep. This was the year that We became I.

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